Cylinder-knife for cotton-seed hullers.



PATENTBD JUNE 19, 1906 M. WQPAHBRTY. CYLINDER KNIPBFOR COTTON SEEDHULLERS. PP ATI N TI A 5 UNITED, STATES: PATENT OFFICE.

MICHAEL W.'FAHERTY, OF -MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE.

CYLINDER- KNIFE FOR QOl'TON-SEED HULLERS.

' Specification of Letters Patent.

.Eatented June 19, 1906.

Application filed April 14, 1905. Serial No. 255,621.

for that type of seed-hullers employing a fixed concave and a rotarycylinder, which knife shall be adapted to be removably mounted upon thecylinder and shall be reversible, so as to bring into use either of fourseparate cutting edges produced by the intersection of facessymmetrically disposed with relation to the web or body of the knife;and the object of my invention is to so construct the knife that aseed-huller having a suitable number thereof secured to its cylinderwill have the efiect of splitting and removing the hull from the seedwithout crushing the kernel or meat, and thereby render the action ofhulling very much more economical in the of a well-known type ofseed-huller, which in power consumed and in results produced.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of myseed-huller, parts being broken away. Fig. 2 is a sideelevation of aknife detached from the cylinder, and Fig. 3 is an end view of the same.

1 represents the concave and 2 the cylinder the form here adapted forillustration is developed more especially for use in removing the hullsof cotton-seed. In the fixed concave 1 are arranged the usual arcuateseries of knives -,3, individually positioned approximately radial tothe axis of the cylinder and having cutting edges 11, formed byapproximately radial faces 10 and approximately tangential faces 12,while mounted upon the periphery of the cylinder 2 are knives 4,extending longitudinally of the cylinder and seated at an angle to theradius. These knives 4.have heretofore been constructed withlongitudinal cutting-heads 5, formed with side faces 6, perpendiculartothe plane of the web, and inclined faces corresponding to the faces 8,though at difierent angles, ex-

tending from the surfaces of the web to thesurfaces ,6 and formingcutting edges with the latter, and when so constructed said knives havebeen reversible upon theseatsof the cylinder to bring either of theircutting edges into position to cooperate with the knives 3 of theconcave. As heretofore constructed, however, the surfaces 8 have been atsuch an uct of the subsequent process (cotton-seed oil) and at the sametime rendered less desirable the by-product of the hulling process,(cotton-seed hulls used for stock-feed.) Ac-. cording to my presentinvention .1 construct the knife for the cylinder and concave type ofseed-hullers, and especially for cottonseed hullers, in such-manner thatthe cuttingheads formed along thesides of the web or body provide thefour cutting edges, as heretofore; but these edges are formed, as shownat 9, notvby the intersection of an inner face 8, inclined to the web,and an outer face 6, perpendicular to the web, but by the inter sectionof said inclined inner face 8 with an inclined outer or third face 7,and the inclined inner face is not at such an angle to the web that whenthe knife is in place said face is presented toward the cutting edges 11of the concave knives in the rotationof the cylinder, which results incrushing-the meat or kernel, but when the cutting edges of thecooperatingtknives are nearest together said inner inclined faces 8 aresubstantially parallel with or in the line of the corresponding 7approximately radial faces 10 of the concave knives, so that there cannever be any biting of theseed between said inner inclined face 8 andthe concave knives; but the seed is invariablyimpinged-by the twocutting edges 1 1 and 9 alone, so as to break the hull without crushingthe kernel, or, if the kernel is broken, to-cut it'sharply with littleor no destruction of the oil-cells, and the outer inclined face 7, whileaffording all necessary support to the cutting edge 9, is substantiallyparallel with the corresponding tangential faces 12 of the concaveknives therefor within the tangent to the rotary cylinderat the cuttingedge,

:and thereby. not only avoids producing any crushing effectin itstravel, but is at such angle with the inner inclined face 8 as toproduce a true cutting edge and not a scraping{ edge, as such terms aretechnically un- ITO derstood in machine construction, and provides aclearance for the cut seed and obviates the choking of the machineheretofore experienced. This construction of its outting-heads bringsthe cutting edges at the extremities of the greatest thickness of theknife, but within the extremities of'its greatest breadth. The concaveknives having the faces and 12 at substantially right angles areset at aslight angle to the-radius,wl1ich gives a clearance forward. on the face12, as has been the practice heretofore.

I have found by experience that knives constructed as above describedand substituted for the ordinary type of double-head or reversiblecylinder knives in seed-hullers v greatly reduce the friction of thecylinderknives against the seed, with a corresponding reduction of powerconsumption in driving the machine. They decrease the loss of oil verygreatly. They increase the capacity of the huller, and they multiplyseveral fold the number of tons of stock that can be run through themachine without resetting the knives of the concave or reversing. theknives of the cylinder.

In operation the cylinder revolves in the direction of the arrow, andthe seed is caught between the cutting edges 9 of' the cylinderknivesand the edges-11, formed by'the-faces 10 and 12 of the knives 3 of theconcave, the said knives 3 being set in a well-known manher, so that thespace between the edges 9 and 11 is slightly less than the diameter ofthe seed to be treated.

Having thus describedmy invention, what I claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is

1'. As a new article of manufacture for use in seed-hullers comprising aconcave having a plurality of approximately radial knives, thecuttingedges of which are formed by faces approximately at right anglesto each other and a cylinder carrying a plurality of knives reversiblyseated thereon in positions oblique to the radius of the cylinder;cylinder-knives each comprising a web having formed along one side apair of oppositelyprese'nted. cutting edges, each of which edges isformed by two faces approximately at right angles to each. other andbearing such position relatively to the web that when the knife is inplace and the cutting edge is nearest the cutting edge of the concaveknife, the corresponding edge-forming faces of the respective knives aresubstantially parallel.

2. In a seed-huller having a concave provided with a plurality ofapproximately radial knives, the edges of which are formed by facesapproximately radial and tangential and a cylinder formed with aplurality of knife-seats with knives mounted thereon at an angle to thetangent; a cylinder-knife constructed with a straight web or body withlongitudinal cutting-heads along the respective sides thereof, each headbeing formed with two inner straight faces inclined to the plane of theweb and two outer faces inclined to the plane of the web andintersecting the inner inclined faces to form cutting edges located inthe extreme thickness of the knives but within the extreme breadththereof; the intersecting inclined faces being at such an angle to. eachother and to the web, that when the knife is seated upon the cylinder,the inner inclined face will be substantially radial to the cylinderWhile the-outer inclined face is within the tangent to the cylinder atthe cutting edge.

3. A knife for that type of seed-hullers employi'ng a concave withapproximately radial knives and a cylinder with knives mounted thereonat an angle to the radius; said knife comprising a straight web or bodywith a pair of longitudinal cutting-heads extending along its respectivesides and each formed with an outer face perpendicular to the plane ofthe web, outer inclined faces intersecting the said perpendicular face,and straight inner inclined faces extending from the straight surfacesof the web, and intersecting the outer inclined faces and formingtherewith cutting edges which are located at extremities of the extremethickness of the knife, but within the extreme breadth thereof, and theangles of the outer and inner inclined faces relative to the web beingsuch that when the knife is in place, the inner inclined face issubstantially radial to the cylinder, while the outer in.- clined facelies within a tangent to the cylinder at the cutting edge of the knife.

4. A cylinder-knife for seed-hullers of concave and cylinder typecomprising a straight thin web or body portion having integralcutting-heads along its respective sides constructed each with an outerface perpendicular to the plane of the web, a pair of outer facesinclined at an angle to said perpendicu lar face and to the plane of theweb and a pair of inner faces inclined to the plane of the web andextending from the straight plane portion of the web to theouterinclined faces and. forming with the latter cutting edges that areat the extremities of the greatest thickness of the blade but within theextremities of the breadth thereof; the outer and inner inclined faceswhich form said cutting edges being within a right angle to each other.

The foregoing specification signed at Memphis, Tennessee, this 29th dayof March, 1905.

MICHAEL W. FAI'IERTY.

In presence of B. P. MARsHALL, JOHN E. CoLBnRT.

IIS

